LINCOLN- Joining up on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's East Campus, all five members of Nebraska's congressional delegation, in a rare joint meeting, received a chance to hear concerns from local farmers and ranchers, as well as University leaders ahead of the creation of a second major, federal farm bill. University leaders in particular pressed the need for the farm bill to invest in agricultural research, while farmers were largely concerned with protecting federal crop insurance and avoiding cuts in state assistance.

As drought conditions worsen in eastern Nebraska, farmers say local and federal assistance is necessary if they and their crops are to survive. "The main thing people were saying is that they want to preserve it," said Rep. Don Bacon, who serves on the House Agriculture Committee, of the assistance programs, "The farmers are being made whole right now, or they'd be selling their farms." The creation of the bill, as well as the debate surrounding it, will likely stretch into 2024, according to Sen. Deb Fischer.

Rep. Adrian Smith seemed particularly open to the pleas from University leaders, and said that he believes innovation and research are important for the future of farming in Nebraska. "We want the agility for producers to be able to innovate for the future and hopefully smooth things out economically for themselves," he said, adding that continued investment in research and farming technology improvement is a big part of keeping farmers employed.

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